Vol.26
Fun meter: SUPER FUN
Location: Las Palmas, Gran Canaria
Adventure: Activity
Type: Aquarium
Time: About 2 hours
Level of difficulty: Super easy
Good for what ages: All ages
Cost: €13 – 25 per person
Overview
The aquarium of Poema del Mar is my favorite place to go on cloudy or rainy days. It has all kinds of ocean creatures, from giant sharks and rays to tiny sea dragons and tortoises!!! We like it so much we have an annual pass. This aquarium is truly different: it is bright and wide open. The tanks are soooo beautiful. Each feels like its own piece of art. You walk on suspended bridges watching huge fish cruise by, wander through glass tunnels and relax on bean bags surrounded by brightly colored coral. We bought a bunch of my friends there for my 10th birthday and then had a party in the courtyard.
How To Get There
Poema del Mar is across highway one from Santa Catalina at the northern part of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. There is a paid parking behind the aquarium as well as at the mall next door. The main public bus station is a 1 minute walk away. I’ll admit the freeway exit / roundabouts from highway 1 to the Muelle could be a hint clearer. We’ve ended up exiting incorrectly more than once. I’m going to hand the mic back to serenity. Just not much to add on this besides telling you that we freaking love this place and you will too.
The Fish Under Your Feet
As you enter, the floor is clear glass full of adorable white, glowing fishies. I liked to pretend that I’m walking on water. Sojourn just likes to hang out and stare at them. But, it is just the hallway, so we can never stay all that long. But, dang, what a cool way to start.
Walking in the Jungle: Meet the Piranhas & the Chameleons
Well, that sounds like an obvious combo right? But, this is a poem of the ocean, and not an encyclopedia of the ocean. So it’s not organized alphabetically but by habitat. That means, where things live. At the top of the escalator are piranhas. They can eat a whole cow. But the tiger fish with its enormous teeth looks scarier. There are tropical plants and huge stone pointy things that make me feel like I’m in the jungle. The ceiling is 20 meters high. It is so big.
Up in the trees are chameleon lizards and in their shade sit tortoises. The lizards are cool because they change colors to blend into the tree and have wacky eyes that look at you.
Goodbye giant jungle, we’ll see you later, time to go into a cave with a bunch of tiny funky animals. You can see completely through one of the fish and see all of its bones. Then, brightly colored poisonous frogs. My dad said he had one as a pet when he was in his 20s but I don’t believe him. Who would be dumb enough to have poisonous pets?!? Apparently my dad
Play with Nemo
They have a nice little café where the adults sit, or we use the bathroom next to a cool play area. The kids and tiny adults crawl into a small glass tunnel and all around are the fish from finding nemo. Clown fish, damselfish, tangs, puffer fish, sea stars, sea anemones, and sometimes there is even a baby shark. I’m not sure why, but it doesn’t get old.
The Big Comfy Chair Reef
Shhhh… this is a quiet space…
Below the café, down a big twisty ramp, is a tall circular tank surrounded by bean bags. It’s a dark quiet space where I like to read a book out loud with dad and look at the fish. Sojourn likes it when we pick out a fish and he has to run around until he finds it. The tank is a piece of art. There is a tower of coral like a vibrant living rainbow topped by a cute island you can see from above. Sojourn loved chasing the sting rays. I think the small sharks are beautiful. This is the best place to just take some down time.
The Really, Really, Really Big Tank
After the small island at the top of the coral reef, we journey to the open ocean habitat. Weird deep water worms and then, a parade of big animals. There are huge sharks, giant rays and all kinds of big fish. You walk through a long glass tunnel with little hiding spots and port holes, then, BOOM, the world’s largest curved tank. You get peaks of it from inside, but the impact of the full tank is a full on wow . It is pretty amazing to sit and watch. I feel so small and inspired at the same time.
I wish I could have bedroom like this. It would be so peaceful.
The fish are cool. The bench is AWESOME.
Why is there only one Grouper? Oxymoron?
Do Sharks Need Toothpaste?
Mangroves
The mangroves are one of dad’s favorites. He thinks it’s so cool that they can live in salt water and make fresh water. With enough time, they make new islands. Nature’s own construction crew. And fish LOVE living in their roots and swim all around.
The Scariest Fish in the World
You might think sharks would be the most intimidating creature here, but they don’t bother me. I think they are beautiful. Eels though.. Nuh huh. No Way. There is a tank with a bubble-like sitting space where you feel like you are in the tanks surrounded by eels, it is TERRIFYING!!! They are as big as my brothers and swirl around, like the wicked twins that work for ursula. I can just see the poor unfortunate souls.
Baby Shark du..du…dudududu
There are baby shark tanks in a few places in the aquarium. They are both soo cool. You can see their eggs, and if you are super duper extra lucky, watch them be born. That hasn’t happened for me yet, but I’m not giving up hope. Sojour and I made a tiktok that has a baby sharks and one of the huge sharks.
Not Just Fish Live Under Water
There are all kinds of cool animals that aren’t fish, from giant lobsters to cute seahorses and sea dragons. They can blend in with the kelp and a super hard to spot. I sometimes like to just chill and stare at the glowing purple jellyfish as they float in the current.
Towards the beginning of the aquarium you see the crocodiles and the big nose turtle.
They have such cool weird noses. They are so beautiful and so curious. They kept looking at Sojourn and me.
Traveling With Serenity 